Boyfriend.
When he heard these three words, Zhou Cibai, who was originally angry and anxious, suddenly forgot what he was going to say and stood there in a daze.
Gu Jiqing knew that the big stupid dog was starting to daydream again, so he raised his head, smiled, and lightly touched his lips.
A slightly cool touch came from his lips, awakening Zhou Cibai’s emotions that had suddenly become stuck due to the sudden amount of information. An unprecedented surprise instantly swept through his body at the speed of ice-breaking.
“I am your boyfriend now!”
Zhou Cibai was so excited that he didn’t know the words to express the overwhelming joy in his heart. He could only pick up Gu Jiqing and happily spin around on the spot.
“Gu Zhizhi! I’m finally your boyfriend!”
Zhou Cibai’s joy was revealed without reservation from the corners of his eyes, eyebrows, and the corners of his lips that couldn’t stop rising, like a child who had waited for a long time and finally got to eat candy.
He can step on the dragon and cut through the thorns to come for him like a hero, and he can also express his love for him with a sincere heart like a child.
Gu Jiqing wondered how there could be such a good Zhou Cibai and such a good love in this world.
When he was picked up by Zhou Cibai, he couldn’t help but smile, and he lowered his head to kiss Zhou Cibai.
Zhou Cibai immediately seized his lips and carried him to the passenger seat.
In the night sky of a remote suburb, fireworks bloomed above their heads. Behind the cliff were the warm and bright lights of thousands of homes in the city. Snowflakes fell gently on the tips of Zhou Cibai’s hair.
It was a kiss without any physical desire. The entanglement of lips and tongues was filled with their attachment to each other and the pure and complete love that belonged only to each other after everything was settled.
That kiss seemed to have no end.
It was not until much later that Gu Jiqing said with a faint blush on his cheeks, “If you keep on kissing me, I will be short of oxygen.”
Zhou Cibai said embarrassedly, “Oh.”
But after saying that, he couldn’t help but kiss Gu Jiqing again: “But I’m just so happy.”
Gu Jiqing is also happy.
His happiness was not the happiness that Zhou Cibai felt after pursuing for a long time and finally getting a response, but the happiness that came from letting go of all burdens and baggage and purely enjoying the joy of the moment.
He put his arm around Zhou Cibai’s neck and asked softly, “Then are you still unhappy?”
Zhou Cibai pursed his lips and said, “Yes.”
Gu Jiqing: “……”
He didn’t expect that a kiss wouldn’t be enough to bribe Zhou Cibai.
Zhou Cibai added: “You promised me that you would try to rely on me, but you didn’t do what you said. You secretly fought without me. I felt very distressed and felt that I was a little incompetent and couldn’t protect the person I loved. So can you promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you will tell me and let me face it with you?”
When Zhou Cibai said this, he looked straight at Gu Jiqing, neither hiding his unhappy emotions nor his demands for the future.
It seemed as if everything was open and natural to him.
For someone like Gu Jiqing, who is used to hiding all his thoughts, there is no better way to strike his defenses than such direct expression.
So he hugged Zhou Cibai tightly, closed his eyes, and gently rubbed his neck: “Well, I’m bankrupt now, and I don’t have a penny. Can my innocent little landlord provide me with food, shelter, and support Zhou Zhou?”
Of course, he can.
This is a question that Zhou Cibai doesn’t even have to think about.
But why bankruptcy?
Isn’t Gu Jiqing a very powerful, little wealthy man? How could he go bankrupt?
Zhou Cibai reacted immediately: “Did the Gu family bully you? Why are you out there alone? Did they embarrass you?”
Gu Jiqing didn’t want Zhou Cibai to know this, but thinking of what he had just promised Zhou Cibai, he briefly repeated the matter in order to prevent him from worrying, and then slowly added, “So it’s not bullying; I voluntarily returned the money.”
“Gu Zhizhi, you…”
Zhou Cibai originally wanted to say, Gu Zhizhi, are you an idiot?
But he knew that if Gu Jiqing didn’t do this, he would not be the Gu Jiqing he knew.
But just because Gu Jiqing is gentle, kind, and has a good- temper doesn’t mean that other people are also gentle, kind, and have a good- temper.
Zhou Cibai stood up, walked to the back seat, dragged out the suitcase, put on a coat that looked expensive and noble, put on a watch that looked like it cost seven figures, straightened his collar, and then scratched his hair with a cold face in the rearview mirror.
All the tiredness and fatigue were gone, leaving only a cool guy with “My family is rich and powerful, and I’m not easy to mess with” written all over his body.
This is consistent with Gu Jiqing’s first impression of Zhou Cibai.
But why did Zhou Cibai suddenly dress like this?
Before he could open his mouth to ask, Zhou Cibai produced a brooch designed from a deformation of the Chinese character “Zhou” from somewhere, bent down to put it on him, straightened his collar, and then took his hand and strode into Xishan Villa.
Gu Jiqing asked softly, “Zhou Cibai, what are you going to do?”
Zhou Cibai held his hand tightly without turning his head. “Support my boyfriend.”
He knew that Gu Jiqing was very capable and could handle everything and get away with it safely. He also knew that the reason why Gu Jiqing didn’t tell him before was that he didn’t want him to get involved in these dirty tricks.
But he didn’t want those people in the Gu family to really think that Gu Jiqing was easy to bully, nor did he want those people in the Gu family to use Gu Jiqing’s gentleness and kindness as capital to be fearless, so he moved all the items originally prepared for tonight’s family dinner over.
He took Gu Jiqing’s hand and pushed open the Gu family’s banquet hall door.
Inside the family banquet hall, the atmosphere among the Gu family was far from harmonious.
When he saw Zhou Cibai holding Gu Jiqing’s hand and appearing at the door together, Gu Zhifeng, who had just taken a heart-attack medicine to suppress his anger, directly swept the cup to the ground and said in a cold voice, “Gu Jiqing, didn’t you sever ties with the Gu family? How dare you come back? And even bring a man…”
However, before he could finish his curse, he recognized that the man in front of him was the young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Cibai.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his voice became colder: “Gu Jiqing, didn’t you say that you two are not in a relationship? So now you have even learned to lie?”
Gu Jiqing felt that this matter was a bit troublesome to explain and didn’t really want to speak up.
Then Zhou Cibai took his hand and calmly replied, “Mr. Gu, Gu Jiqing didn’t lie. When you asked him before, we really weren’t together. It was me who chased him all the way to Nanwu and pestered him, so he just reluctantly agreed to give me a chance. It was also because I liked him too much and was too anxious to confirm the relationship, so I couldn’t wait to come and meet his parents.”
He said it calmly.
Gu Jiqing also behaved calmly behind him.
Everyone in the banquet hall was stunned.
After all, with Zhou Cibai’s family background, it would have been fine if he just came out on the spot, but after coming out, his words and actions all implied that he was the one asking for it. If Gu Jiqing was willing to ask, the Zhou family would have been there to help.
But the problem is that Gu Jiqing has now severed ties with the Gu family. No matter how much Zhou Cibai likes Gu Jiqing, no matter how powerful the Zhou family is, what does it have to do with them?
Several family shareholders who were eager to establish relationships with large groups because of the projects looked at Gu Zhifeng with dissatisfaction.
Gu Zhifeng had different ideas in his mind.
It’s impossible for Zhou Cibai to bring Gu Jiqing to show his loyalty in public for no reason.
Sure enough, the next second, Zhou Cibai looked in the direction of him and Yin Lan, and said calmly and formally, “So in order for you to leave Gu Jiqing to me with confidence, I feel it is necessary for me to express my sincerity to the elders.”
After hearing these words, Gu Zhifeng’s heart, which had been angry all night, finally felt better.
He knew that raising Gu Jiqing to this age would still be of some use.
He just didn’t believe that Gu Jiqing would be accepted by the Zhou family without the support of the Gu family.
With this in mind, Gu Zhifeng felt that he had more bargaining chips in his hand. He sat in his original position with a sullen face, watching Zhou Cibai walking towards them holding Gu Jiqing’s hand, and he had already figured out how to offer a good price in his heart.
Zhou Cibai really brought Gu Jiqing to stop in front of him and even picked up a new cup and poured a cup of tea, apparently preparing to use tea instead of wine.
Gu Zhifeng tapped his wine glass with his fingertips, wondering how to avoid appearing rude while still being able to control Zhou Cibai’s momentum.
Then Zhou Cibai handed the teacup to Yin Lan: “Auntie, don’t worry. Although Zhizhi has suffered a lot and been wronged because he has been without a father since he was a child, from now on I will treat him well, protect him, and not let him get hurt in any way.”
He looked at Yin Lan with a calm and sincere look.
Yin Lan was both happy and flustered at the same time. After she stood up, she didn’t know how to respond. She could only quickly take the teacup and drink it all in one gulp. Then she took out two big red envelopes from her bag and stuffed one into each of him and Gu Jiqing: “Good, good, you two must be good to each other in the future.”
She looked so happy and excited that she almost said, “Give me a big, fat grandson soon.”
Gu Jiqing never expected that a New Year’s greeting atmosphere would become the wife offering tea. Just as he was about to return the red envelope, Zhou Cibai took it from him and said seriously: “This is the money my mother gave me. Just take it.”
Yin Lan didn’t think it was wrong at all and said, “That’s right, this money is my dividend, it’s Mom’s own money, you guys take it.”
“?”
Gu Jiqing, who was always calm and composed, opened his eyes wide in confusion.
Why did he suddenly call mom?
Why did he feel that someone was secretly smuggling goods under the pretext of supporting him?
However, the man who had something to say said to Yin Lan in a mature and steady manner: “En, don’t worry, Mom, I will definitely treat Zhi Zhi well in the future, and I could also make up for the love he lacked from his father since he was a child.”
“Zhou Cibai, what do you mean by this?” After sitting and waiting aside for a long time and didn’t get a toast, Gu Zhifeng instead received the words “have no father.” He put the cup on the table heavily and spoke coldly.
Zhou Cibai lowered his eyes and looked at him, as if he didn’t understand: “What do you mean?”
“Are you standing at my Gu family’s family dinner, speaking on behalf of Gu Jiqing to deny that I am his father?” After all, Gu Zhifeng had been someone in a high position for so many years. He glared at him coldly, his anger evident.
Zhou Cibai just said casually and puzzledly, “Didn’t you just say that Gu Jiqing has severed ties with your Gu family? And as far as I know, you also took back all the money you spent on Gu Jiqing, not even leaving him two yuan for bus fare. Does this count as being a father? Or are there fathers in this world who will continue to strive for mutual benefit with those who hurt their sons?”
As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar at the table.
There were many family relatives at the Gu family dinner who usually only had business dealings with each other. They originally only heard that Mr. Gu’s stepson was ignorant and ran away from home.
But now, when they listen to it, it seems that is not the case.
“Isn’t it always said that Mr. Gu is kind and righteous and treats his stepson very well? Why does it seem that that’s not the case?”
“Ai, good what good? It’s just that he looks good and he wants to exchange his benefits.”
“No, how can you be married for the second time, raise someone else’s child, and now want to ask for child support back? Moreover, it’s New Year’s Day, and you didn’t even give him two yuan. This is too cruel.”
“Gu Zhifeng is just this kind of person. Last time, I extended the payment for two days, and he simply cut off my supply.”
“Ai, me too. After all, we are still a family. I have long wanted to start my own business…”
The whispered discussions in this space were loud enough to reach Gu Zhifeng’s ears. The most important thing for the person in charge of a family business like this is to win the support of the people. If he fails to win the support of the people, all kinds of difficulties will arise in the future.
But these were all facts, and Gu Zhifeng had no way to refute them. He could only keep a cold face and clench his fists.
Zhou Cibai added, “But I’m still very grateful for your fostering of Gu Jiqing over the years. Even the teachers at our Academy of Fine Arts also said that if he had continued to learn painting, he would have become a great painter. But you had a unique vision and didn’t let him continue to learn. He learned mathematics and is very good at calculation and analysis. Last time, he helped me make an investment and made a lot of money. I haven’t had time to share the profits with him yet. I just calculated that the money he gets should be just enough to pay you back. How about I transfer the money to your account now?”
After saying that, he took out his cell phone and handed it to Gu Zhifeng.
It was not right for Gu Zhifeng to refuse, nor was it right for him to not refuse.
The whole dinner was filled with discussions about why Gu Jiqing couldn’t learn to paint at that time. Some expressed sympathy, some watched the show, and some sneered, but without exception, no one denied Gu Jiqing’s outstanding talent since childhood.
Gu Zhifeng’s face looked extremely ugly, but Zhou Cibai somehow found out his bank account number in just a few minutes.
As soon as the payment notification sounded, Zhou Cibai put away his phone and whispered, “Mr. Gu, now Gu Jiqing and you are completely even.”
After saying that, without waiting for Gu Zhifeng to answer, Zhou Cibai looked at Yin Lan again: “Auntie, I know it’s not easy for you to raise Zhizhi for so many years. You may have many scruples and worries, but don’t worry. I have always been a person who wants to do whatever I want to do since I was a child, so I have no scruples or worries. I just want to be good to Gu Jiqing, so you don’t have to worry about him being bullied because he is not likable enough, because no matter what, I will always like him.”
Those words seemed like some kind of promise to her, but also like a silent statement of the grievances that Gu Jiqing had suffered.
He spoke calmly, and his hand holding Gu Jiqing was warm and strong.
Gu Jiqing lowered his eyelashes.
Yin Lan also secretly wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes, then raised her head and smiled and continued, “En, our Zhi Zhi is the most lovable one. It’s because I’m not a good enough mother. So please take care of him more in the future. And since you guys are back, go and see Zhi Zhi’s father tomorrow.”
The father she was talking about was, naturally, not Gu Zhifeng.
Gu Zhifeng finally couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted, “Yin Lan!”
Yin Lan turned around and shouted, “Gu Zhifeng!”
“If he doesn’t go see his own father, is he going to wait for you, this father, to sell him out for profit? I know I owe you, so I’ll stay in the Gu family and work like a slave for the rest of my life, but can you please let my son go? Otherwise, I’ll divorce you!”
Gu Zhifeng had never heard Yin Lan speak to him so loudly, and he had never heard the word divorce. He was stunned for a moment.
Zhou Cibai added slowly, “Oh, by the way, Mr. Gu, I seem to have forgotten to tell you what I like most about Gu Jiqing. What I like most about him is that as long as someone is a little bit nice to him, he will remember it for a long time. For example, if it were me today, those documents would never have been handed to you. So if you haven’t thought of wanting to cooperate with the Li family today, then maybe you could cooperate with the Zhou family. But now you can only pray that your company really only has those problems on the documents; otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be able to celebrate a reunion next year.”
After saying that, he took Gu Jiqing’s hand and walked out of the banquet hall with his long legs, like two super A male models.
All that was left was the loud sound of cups slamming in the banquet hall and the shareholders’ noisy complaints against Gu Zhifeng, either overt or covert.
It was a chaotic situation, and just listening to it gave Gu Zhifeng a headache.
Gu Jiqing couldn’t help but chuckle and say, “Why would you make him mad? It’s obvious that your family can’t cooperate with the Gu family.”
Zhou Cibai recalled Gu Zhifeng’s expression of twitching with anger just now and was in a good mood: “It can’t be considered a lie. If he treats you well and is an upright, kind, and law-abiding person, why wouldn’t our family cooperate with him?”
That’s the truth.
But when Gu Zhifeng heard this, he must have hated his decision to push Gu Jiqing to Li Wang to apologize to death.
This regret will probably make Mr. Gu, who puts profit above all else and is extremely feudal and patriarchal, feel heartbroken for a long time.
Gu Jiqing suddenly realized that Zhou Cibai was quite bad.
“So, Zhou Cibai, when did I help you invest?” Gu Jiqing was led by Zhou Cibai and asked slowly, “And is the tea you offered to my mother today considered a wife offering tea ceremony?”
The arrogant and domineering rich second generation who was still supporting his boyfriend ten minutes ago paused, his steps froze, and then three seconds later, he took Gu Jiqing’s hand and walked forward quickly, not daring to look back.
Gu Jiqing couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “What? You dared to call my mom mom in front of so many people just now, but now you don’t even want to acknowledge this wife offering tea ceremony?”
“Who doesn’t want to acknowledge it?” Zhou Cibai’s ears were red. He held Gu Jiqing’s waist, carried him to the passenger seat, and lowered his head to fasten his seat belt. “Wife offering tea is wife offering tea, the meaning is almost the same anyway, but you’ve also said that I already offered the wife tea and accepted the red envelope, so our relationship is settled. You can’t cheat, and you must be responsible for me for the rest of your life.”
Gu Jiqing felt like laughing.
There is no 1.9-meter-tall muscular man who offers the wife tea and then demands that others take responsibility.
He asked, “Then why did you suddenly help me pay back the money?”
Zhou Cibai spent a long time fastening his seatbelt but failed to do so. He whispered, “The main reason is that I think if you pay off the debt sooner, you can stop having any contact with the Gu family sooner, so as to avoid any more troubles, and…”
“And what?”
“And with your personality, you will definitely return it all to me. Then I will just increase the interest a bit…”
“And then the interest will compound and compound, and Zhi Zhi will never be able to pay it back.”
Gu Jiqing had already seen through his little thoughts, so he held back his laughter and just asked.
Zhou Cibai admitted embarrassedly and shamelessly: “En, that’s right. If you can’t pay it back, you can only pay off the debt with your body and live in my house for the rest of your life.”
“So what annual interest rate do you plan on having me pay back?”
“About 200 percent.”
Gu Jiqing nodded and seriously said, “Okay.”
Zhou Cibai also pretended to be serious and said, “Out Gu Zhizhi didn’t intend to bargain.”
“No.” Gu Jiqing leaned back in the back seat, closed his eyes, and said lazily, “It’s also good if I can’t pay it back.”
This sentence really doesn’t sound like something Gu Jiqing would say. Zhou Cibai turned his head and looked at Gu Jiqing.
Gu Jiqing said softly, “I heard that if you can’t pay it back in this life, you can come to me to collect the debt in the next life. Then I can meet you again in the next life, and then it will be my turn to pursue you, okay?”
He said it seriously and gently.
Zhou Cibai quickly avoided his sight and said, “Not okay.”
“En?”
“We dogs love to chase people, so I will still chase you in the next life.”
Zhou Cibai just couldn’t bear to see Gu Jiqing suffer even a little bit of grievance because the process of waiting for someone to respond to our love was really long and uneasy.
Moreover, it was hard for him to imagine that there was anyone who was liked by Gu Jiqing but was still not satisfied and was waiting to be pursued by Gu Jiqing.
Zhou Cibai felt that this sentence was so natural, but it directly touched Gu Jiqing’s heart.
It turned out that he was also favored in this way.
He had never been so in debt, nor had he ever had this much.
So Gu Jiqing opened his eyes, “Then you can chase again.”
Zhou Cibai looked up and was stunned.
Gu Jiqing calmly said, “Anyway, don’t you dogs just like to chase people?”
“I don’t mean that kind of love when I pursue someone!” Zhou Cibai said anxiously, “Gu Zhizhi! You already called me your boyfriend! I even offered the wife tea! Your mother even gave us red envelopes! How can you go back on your word?”
Gu Jiqing lowered his head and fiddled with his phone, indifferent. “Anyway, we cats just like to be chased.”
“Gu Zhizhi.”
“En.”
“You still owe me two million seven hundred thirty-eight thousand six hundred fifty-two!”
“Then we shouldn’t be together. Otherwise, when I pay you back, you give me your bank card, and then isn’t it you paying yourself? So, we should not be together until we pay off the debt.”
“Then I don’t want you to pay it back anymore.”
“That’s morally unacceptable to me.”
“Gu Jiji!” Zhou Cibai bit Gu Jiqing’s mouth in anger, “You are playing tricks on me.”
Gu Jiqing said confidently, “En, I’m just being naughty. Anyway, we can still break up after being together.”
How can you break up on the first day you’re together?
Zhou Cibai didn’t even think about it: “We can’t break up!”
“Why can’t?”
“Two hundred percent interest rate, no dividends if you can’t pay it back.”
“And suppose the debt is paid off?”
“You are not allowed to pay it back.”
“That doesn’t matter either. I have no home anyway. Too much debt does not weigh on one’s body, right? My innocent little creditor?”
“Gu Zhizhi!” Zhou Cibai finally couldn’t stand it anymore, he picked Gu Jiqing from the passenger seat to the back seat, gritting his teeth, and said, “Do you need to be taught a lesson again?”
“I didn’t.” Gu Jiqing instinctively felt something was wrong and was about to kick Zhou Cibai away when Zhou Cibai’s cell phone vibrated.
Zhou Cibai held down the dishonest Gu Jiqing with one hand and took it out with the other to have a look.
[Xiao Qiao is not Xiao Qiao]: F*ck!!! Congratulations to Mr. Zhou for winning our unrivaled beauty!!! And it was done in one step too, you even met the parents ah!!!
What does it mean?
Zhou Cibai was slightly stunned.
Soon after, more news popped up crazily, all mocking the couple for showing off their love.
He quickly opened his Moments and saw Gu Jiqing’s new Moments post.
[Gu Xiaomao]: @Zhou Dagou, let me introduce my creditor, my landlord, my boyfriend, who served my mom tea, and I love him very much
Gu Jiqing is someone who almost never posts on WeChat Moments. The last post he made was a photo of a loving breakfast that Zhou Cibai forced him to post.
So this post on WeChat Moments is not so much about showing affection, it is actually about Gu Jiqing understanding all his childish likes, passionate love, unreasonable possessiveness, and jealousy, and it is the best gift he has given him.
Gu Jiqing was not a child who grew up with a lot of love, but because of his innate gentleness, he learned the best love with the least love.
And the sentence “I have no home anyway” hides so much of Gu Jiqing’s love that was betrayed.
Zhou Cibai looked at this circle of friends, looked at the little orange cat that did not match Gu Jiqing’s image at all, and then saw Gu Jiqing holding him with a naughty but gentle smile of success in his eyes. For some reason, he suddenly felt very sour in his heart.
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Jiqing guessed that Zhou Cibai had seen the circle of friends and deliberately asked.
Zhou Cibai whispered, “Nothing.”
Then he let go of Gu Jiqing, fastened his seat belt for him, sat in the driver’s seat, and drove the car in silence all the way to the empty mountaintop platform.
Gu Jiqing originally wanted to tease Zhou Cibai and give him a surprise, but he found that Zhou Cibai’s mood was different from what he imagined. After the car stopped, he hurriedly asked, “Zhou Cibai, what’s wrong with you? Did I go too far with my joke just now?”
“En.” Zhou Cibai unbuckled his seat belt, got out of the driver’s seat, walked all the way to the back seat, opened the door, sat in the back seat, closed the door, picked up the somewhat nervous Gu Jiqing, and said, “Gu Xiaomao, you really said something very excessive just now.”
Gu Jiqing’s heart tightened, but before he could react, the next second, he was held tightly on the waist and the back of his head and kissed hard on the lips.
Before he could resist, he was quickly submerged in the love that was expressed silently yet surgingly.
It was not until much later that snowflakes fell all over the roof of the car, and the endless lights of thousands of homes below the mountain were all immersed in the splendor of fireworks, enjoying the warmest reunion time in the world.
Zhou Cibai whispered to Gu Jiqing in this forgotten corner, “Gu Jiqing, do you know what wish I made on that New Year’s Day?”
Gu Jiqing buried his head in the crook of his neck and said nothing.
Zhou Cibai answered himself: “The wish I made that day was that I hope you can meet someone who loves you very much in the new year, and the wish I made for myself was that you can fall in love with that person who loves you very much. Both of them came true, so I want to make another wish today.”
Gu Jiqing asked, “What?”
Zhou Cibai held him in his arms, looking at the lights behind him, none of which had ever belonged to Gu Jiqing, and firmly said, “I want to make a wish. I hope that our little friend Gu Jiqing will never say that he has no home again, because I will become his home.”
Did the dog catch the cat?
It does.
So he will try his best to give the cat the best and warmest home in the world.
